Parisians at Leisure: The absinthe fuelled cafe culture of 19th Century Paris

A new Parisian leisure society developed in the second half of the 19th century, providing ample material for artists who portrayed not only the excitement and energy of this vibrant period but also its darker side.

This talk looks at the way ‘scenes of modernity’ were depicted through images of the new absinthe-fuelled cafe society, the nascent emancipation of women, or the rise of the bourgeoisie. It will consider the work of Manet, Toulouse Lautrec and the Impressionists.